Basics of the South Beach Diet

As far as our conventional thinking goes, dieting is a way of losing weight by starving ourselves. That means all the foodies have no option for perfect physique! Otherwise they have to overcome their strongest weakness! That's sad. Here is good news for all those who hate fasting in order to lose some extra kilos.

Think about the South Beach diet. It is a commercial, unconventional diet program that doesn't allow starving. It was created by Arthur Agatston, a cardiologist and Marie Almon, a diet expert in 2003. Initially it was considered only for patients with heart diseases as it offers a balanced diet that lowers the risk of heart attacks. Later it became popular as successful weight loss approach. South beach is glamorous area of Miami that influenced the name of this diet program by matching with its goal of offering a healthy and glamorous lifestyle.

The South Beach diet is all about a complete balanced daily food intake. It is not like other traditional low-carbohydrate diet programs. It focuses more on choosing the right food, be it carbohydrate or fat or protein or nutrient or anything that you eat. It teaches you to choose the right food for you. This program does not pressure you to lower your food intake or make your appetite low.

The creators of the South Beach diet believe that any food with high Glycemic index boosts the blood sugar level unlike foods with low glycmic level. As blood sugar increases, it triggers high appetite and you tend to eat more than normal, thus gain weight and all these can largely contribute to heart disease. The motto of this program is to help you identify the right carbs, fats and fiber/nutrient rich foods with low gycemic index and also motivates you to avoid trans fats, saturated fats. But, it also allows monounsaturated fats, colorful fruits, lots of vegetables.

This diet has three phases. Phase one is the initial two weeks when your carbohydrate intake will go down as much as possible. Foods that are allowed include lean meat, fish, sea foods, cheese (low in fat), eggs, nuts, beans, lots of vegetables. You can happily have snacks and desserts according to your taste. Snacks are not optional, rather highly recommended. It will not make you hungry in between meals and you will not be tempted to eat more in next meal. You are not allowed to have bread, rice, pasta, potatoes, baked foods, sugar, alcohol, cake, or cookies. The restriction on all carbohydrates is restricted only in this phase.

During phase two you will reach your target body weight. Continue this phase until you get the right shape. In this phase every week one new "good carbohydrate" will be added to the diet chart and the effect will be monitored. If any food item affects you badly, stop it immediately and if the effect drives you against your goal, then go back to phase 1 again.

Phase three is for adopting a healthy lifestyle. This will go on for whole life. You can now experiment with your diet by choosing new food items that suits you and is good for you. Just maintain your ideal health.

Finally, here are a few of the benefits related to this diet. It helps maintain ideal health in the long run. It also lowers cholesterol levels and your body will be less prone to develop diabetes. You have less of a chance of suffering from hypertension and your appetite will be comfortable; not letting you fell hungry every now and then.